Thursday, November 25, 2010

BC-Syracuse Preview

Think of how much has changed for BC and Syracuse since we last played. New conferences, new coaches and huge peak for BC while Syracuse became the dregs of college football. Now things have leveled off and playing closer to their respective modern histories. This is also the first attempt at turning this game into an end of the season tradition. I don't think it will ever become Michigan-Ohio State, but it would be nice to play a meaningful game on the last week of the season.


Overlooked storyline for the game:
This game might not impact our bowl status but it could be the key to getting ranked at the end of the season. Yes, I said ranked. My point is that if we win this game and play in the San Francisco game and win that, the narrative that "BC is a hot team closing strong" will be fresh on voter's minds. I am not putting any money on us being ranked but I could see it happen.


Three Simple Keys
1. Limiting Williams' touches.
We've been spoiled by Harris's toughness and consistency. Williams might great one day too, but I think giving him the ball 20+ times might be a mistake. Earlier this season he coughed it up.
2. Force them to put the game on Nassib's shoulders.
Nassib is not as good as some of the other QBs we've faced this year. If we shutdown their running game, I don't think Nassib is accurate or patient enough to put up a lot of points on us.
3. Keep stretching the field. One of the things I've liked about Tranq is his willingness to go deep. We should keep that up this week as our bigger receivers have proven effective in those one on one battles downfield.


Gambling Notes

-- BC has won three-straight regular season finales.
-- Syracuse hasn't beaten an ACC in the Carrier Dome since 1994
-- BC is 4-18 all time at Syracuse
The current line is BC+3


Factoid

It has been six seasons since we played Syracuse. But that break isn't the longest in the series. We didn't play the Orange from 1945 until the series resumed in 1958.


Scoreboard Watching

It probably won't make a difference, but pay attention to how the other 6-5 ACC teams do this weekend. Often times bowl positioning is about momentum. If we have some and others are riding losing streaks into the postseason, we might not end up out West.


I hope to see...

Kuechly have a big day. Although I think he is a long shot for some of these national awards, I think a big day this weekend might help his chances. The game is on national TV. We are playing out of conference so there will be some new eyes on Luke. Plus it is a road game with Syracuse official scorer. If he gets another 20 tackles people will notice.


BC is in trouble if...

We can't stop their ground game. I don't need to remind you what happened in 2004.


Bottom Line

We are the underdog and headed to a place where we've only won a few times. Yet I am not worried. I think we are coming into our own and have he type of defense that will frustrate Syracuse. If Williams can be 75% of what Harris usually is, we will cruise to victory.
Final Score: BC 31, Syracuse 17

2 comments:

Walter said...

I heartily approve of this glowingly optimistic preview!

mmason said...

I, too, wish to partake of your koolaid. May it work like a Jack Black prayer and a Kung Fu Panda Bear.